These 11 stunning images beautifully sum-up what it’s like to be gay in India

It’s still not legal to be gay in India, in spite of having a very real LGBT community.

Despite there being high-profile gay celebs, an openly gay royal prince in the country and LGBT themes in Bollywood, the country has been slow on changing its laws.

Now the reality of being gay in India’s biggest city, Mumbai, has been captured in a new ‘bookazine’.

Elska Magazine features gay guys from the city, not models, with their raw and real stories.

These are 11 gay guys living in India.

1 Aarash K

“It was a monsoon evening, one of those evenings when the hectic red of the setting sun seamlessly blends into the iridescent sea. So I told him… I love you”

2 Anzie V

“When I got [to the club] I was halted by a beautifully well-built hunk who was working the door. He gave me a very mischievous smile [and] put his hands on my ass to check if I had anything in my back hip pockets, and then he padded down my front. He went slowly and meticulously from bottom to top…”

3 Faraz A

“Tongue licked lips, damp; a snake beneath the skin / twitching slowly, fervently / frantically searching for foreskin.”

4 Jahan B

“Yet when someone asks me if I like it [in Mumbai], my response is usually, ‘Ah, well, y’know, I’m used to it now.’”

5 Namit K’s mum

“[You’re gay? What’s wrong with you? Do you want to end up old and alone? Who will be around for you when we die?”

6 Nihal S

“This city lets you live your life, however common or uncommon it may be, and it’s time that the rest of the world learns a lesson from Mumbai”

7 Prabhat P

“The next step was that Umesh decided to tell his parents about us. As expected they did not approve of our relationship.”

8 Rehaan D

“Dear Aaji [Grandma], I wish I could tell you that one night while you were asleep, I invited a boy into our home […] He had a very large, thick penis which I deepthroated. I’m pretty good at that.”

9 Sanky E

“I practiced ‘discretion’ until I met someone who completely changed my life and pulled me out of the closet.”

10 Saif G

“It wasn’t a breakup but a sacrifice, which happened due to the society we live in where castes and religion matter more than love. We couldn’t last.”

11 Arif and Inder

You can find out more about Elska magazine here.